1. Field of Disclosure
The present disclosure of invention relates to a backlight assembly and to a display device having the same.
2. Description of Related Technology
Liquid crystal displays (LCDs) are widely used types of flat panel displays. Generally, an LCD comprises two spaced apart panels having electrodes on each and a liquid crystal material layer interposed between the panels. In a typical LCD, voltages are applied to the electrodes of the upper and lower panels to thereby generate an electric field that passes through the liquid crystal material layer. The electric field determines the alignment of liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer, thereby controlling optical polarization and ultimately the amount of light that passes through the liquid crystal layer. As a result, a desired image can be displayed on the LCD.
Because the LCD itself is a passive light-shuttering device, the LCD is generally stacked on top of a backlight assembly which is powered to supply light to the overlying upper and lower panels (also known as the upper and lower substrates).
As LCDs become slimmer, it is desirable for backlight assemblies to also become slimmer. According to one approach, the gap between a plurality of elongated and essentially parallel lamps that are included in the backlight assembly is reduced. The reduced gap may cause the lamps to interact undesirably with each other, thereby increasing electrical noise in the system and possibly generating a corona discharge that undesirably couples to system electronics. As a result, the reliability and operational lifetime of the overall display device can be undermined.
Additionally, there is another gap as between the lamps and surrounding metal reflectors of the system housing. If this other gap is allowed to become too small; rather than interacting with one another, the lamps may interact with the housing, thereby also increasing noise or risking a corona discharge that undesirably couples to the system housing.